The Fourth of July 2017 cold-blooded murder of 51-year-old Jorge Rodriguez is the subject of Investigation Discovery’s “See No Evil: A Crash, Not an Accident.” The investigators were able to apprehend the offender in a matter of days thanks to several hours of CCTV footage and an anonymous tip. The victim’s daughters and police working on the case are included in the episode to provide a clear picture of the sequence of events. Here is everything we know about the case in case you’re curious.
How Did Jorge Rodriguez Die?
On July 4, 2017, Jorge Rodriguez, 51, and his daughter Darlin Molina were preparing to celebrate the Fourth of July in Pasco, Franklin County, Washington. He had a contagious smile and adored his family. He was the father of three kids named Darlin, Kimberly, and Karen Molina. Kimberly, with tears in her eyes, remembered how their father was always there for them and took care of all their needs.
Due to her pregnancy, Darlin did not feel like viewing the fireworks on July 4th, 2017, but Jorge was ecstatic to welcome a grandchild. On the programme, she related how her father had gone to a neighbouring Fiesta Foods to pick up some goods. Darlin received a call from the Pasco police just before 11:00 PM informing him that he had been shot twice but that he had failed to return home.
When the distraught daughter arrived on the scene, her father was already in the ambulance, holding his face and motioning for her to calm down. He was initially sent to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Centre in Spokane, a Tri-City hospital. Jorge was soon transferred to hospice care in Kennewick, but the serious brain injury prevented him from recovering, and he passed away 25 days later. On July 29, 2017, he was pronounced dead after continuing to be in an induced coma and never emerging.
Who Killed Jorge Rodriguez?
Around 10:34 PM, a caller reported seeing a hurt man running around and attempting to halt traffic on Lewis Street. The Pasco Police Department got the call. The caller claimed that they believed the person requesting for assistance might have cut themselves or something. Since there are typically some fireworks-related incidents on July Fourth, Sergeant Chad Pettijohn of the Pasco Police Department highlighted how law enforcement officers are always ready for such distress calls.
When the police arrived, they realised it wasn’t fireworks. Jorge had his hands on the side of his face as he stood on the pavement. The first responders concluded that he had been shot based on the nature of his wound. The authorities started interviewing the witnesses after the paramedics hastily transported the seriously injured man to a neighbouring hospital. Jorge told him he had smashed his car there, according to one of the people who led him in that direction to the east.
As they proceeded in that route, the police discovered a blood trail Jorge had left behind. They tracked it down and found the victim’s Cadillac Escalade in a parking area behind the Los Pinos restaurant, colliding with another vehicle. The black car smashed into the other parked car after crashing through a fence. The detectives searched the area for a security camera that might help them grasp the puzzling incident.
When the police viewed the surveillance film after contacting Los Pinos management, they noticed Jorge’s Cadillac Escalade travelling at an unsafe speed before colliding with the barrier. The police heard gunfire inside the automobile shortly prior to the collision since the restaurant had another camera angle of the parking lot. Also captured on camera was Jorge stumbling out of his car and dashing to the road to call for help as the alleged offender fled the scene. The gunman, however, was not clearly visible to the camera.
By reviewing the surveillance footage from every CCTV that was set up along the suspect’s escape route, the investigators attempted to determine the perpetrator’s route. Just before the gunman started firing at a camera inside a private home, they witnessed him coming towards the parking lot. Cameras at other nearby establishments captured the man walking around and even attempting to steal a car. The officers were certain that this was a carjacking gone awry despite the fact that none of the tapes clearly showed who this person was.
The police discovered some.32-caliber shot casings and a few Fiesta Foods grocery bags when they searched Jorge’s wrecked Cadillac. They made the decision to look through the convenience store’s internal security footage to see if the father of three was being tracked just from there. The detectives observed him purchasing his groceries, paying with a sizable bill, and chatting with the cashier while he counted his change. A few metres away from the counter, one of the investigators noticed a man walking aimlessly.
The person was noticed by the police because he was shown on other security footage wearing the same colour clothing as the alleged shooter. Fiesta Foods offered clear video evidence, but because the camera was overhead, the officers were unable to see the suspect’s face. They could still see the Dallas Cowboys logo that was drawn on his t-shirt, though. The law enforcement officers were becoming irritated when they got a tip from an anonymous source that gave them the much-needed edge.
The tip included the identity of the suspect, Pedro Cadenas, who was 17 at the time, along with a crucial piece of information: he used a.32-caliber handgun. The police made the arrest of the boy without incident at his girlfriend’s Sunnyside home because they had not made this information public. Pedro, however, cited his Miranda rights and declined to assist the police. The police had a confidential informant who claimed the 17-year-old confessed to him about the shooting as they raced against the 24-hour deadline for charging or releasing him.
Where is Pedro Cadenas Now?
The source claimed Pedro attended a holiday barbecue wearing his bloody clothes and confessed to shooting someone. The police were able to charge the youngster with first-degree murder, second-degree unauthorised possession of a firearm, and attempted theft of a motor vehicle with firearm enhancements based on the surveillance footage and informant’s testimony. Pedro was given a 36-year prison term in 2019 after a jury found him guilty of all charges in November 2018. At the Stafford Creek Corrections Centre, the 23-year-old is completing his term.
